The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Hood hinge and spring installation

'59 nut & bolt restoration
I installed two new hinges to the firewall/inner fender. Expected that once installed the hinges would pivot even w/o the hood installed but they don't. I used a block of wood and hammer on the top (hood) surface of the hinge and still get no movement. It's like the hood half of the hinge hits some obstruction on the fender half so that the gears won't move through each other.

So I wondered: "Do the springs have to be installed in order to release the hinge to pivot? Let's try that."

How in the world does one install the springs?? I watched a couple of YouTube videos, incl. one guy who uses a floor jack to expand the spring, then a jig to block it open. Eh?

So... why won't the hinges rotate?
Should the hood go on before the springs?
Any other words of wisdom?

You're sure you have them mounted on the correct side?
It IS possible to mount them upside down and backwards.

With the Hood ON and UP, I was able to simply get a bite with a vise grip over a piece of carpet/rag (to minimize scratching) and muscle them into place...

here's a pic of my installation. Do I have it wrong??
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d...y%20Pickup/hinge%20mount_zpskrj0dykw.jpg

OK, I just went out and studied things. I have them in correctly but realized I misunderstood how they fold. I was trying to get the top plate that mounts to the hood to come forward and down instead of back and down.
doh!
Now to work out the springs. Because they're new they are very stiff, and I'm very old and skinny. But I will prevail!

What I did was: use two ratchet straps one on each end of the spring, used two support posts in my garage. Stretched the springs using the ratchet straps and slid small pieces of wood between each of the coils. These held the spring to the correct length I needed. Once the springs are in place close the hood a bit and then remove the wood.

I saw a video on U-tube where a guy had to lube the pivot points and exercise his new hinges in a vice to get them to move freely.

Anybody remember bumper jacks? One of them modified with a couple of eye bolts or S hooks makes a handy hood spring stretcher, and the wood wedges between the coils will keep them extended long enough to assemble the spring over the hinges. Then lower the hood a little and let the wedges fall out as recommended above.
Jerry

Put the ear of the spring in a vice, and bend the spring to open the coils on one side and put the wedges in. Then bend the spring the other way to put wedges between the coils on the other side.

Thanks for the tips. I can see the vise method being the easiest.
And yes, 57 Stepside, mine also need lubrication.

On my '59, one of the hinge gears didn't mesh up. With the spring installed, the front arm of the spring was pulled back and actually up against the rear arm. If the gears are not messhed corectly, there could be damage to the hinges. I have several sets of bad hinges.